Ausangate Trek + Rainbow Mountain 4 Days

Day 1: Cusco – Pitumarca – Qesuno – Kayrawiry Lake.

We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 4:00am to begin this amazing hike! We will drive for 2 hours until we reach the Pitumarca Village, where we will stop to collect supplies and then continue for 1 more hour to Qesuno community. Along the way, we view amazing canyons, Inca farming terraces, rugged mountains and some isolated communities. Upon arrival, we meet our horsemen and horses. We begin our hike gradually heading up to the Kayrawiry community where we have lunch. After enjoying lunch and taking a little siesta, we continue our hike towards RAINBOW MOUNTAIN. Once there, we will enjoy the amazing colored mountain, which is the highlight of the day. We will also see a lot of vicuñas, condors and amazing glacial lakes. Finally, we hike downhill to Kayrawiry Lake, where our camping tents will be ready. It is time to enjoy an afternoon tea and dinner.

Distance:
Elevation: 4800m/15,748ft
Hiking time: 5 to 6 hours
Meals: lunch & dinner
Accommodations: camping at Kayrawiry Lake

Day 2: Kayrawiri Lake – Ausangate Cocha.

We will wake you up early in the morning with a hot cup of coca tea to start one of the most beautiful days of the trek. You will enjoy the majestic views of some of the highest peaks in the Andes and the depths of the beautiful valleys. After an early breakfast, we will start with a 2-hour steep climb to Condor pass at (5100m/ 16732ft) in elevation. Along the way, you will always have gorgeous views of the blue lakes and the majestic views of Ausangate Glacier Peak surrounding you. Sometimes you can see avalanches happening from the glacial hills with ice crashing into the lakes below. Once you reach the summit of this mountain, you will be located right in front of Ausangate. There you can really enjoy the valleys of alpaca grazing amongst the hills. It is so impressive! After time to enjoy the amazing views from the pass, we head downhill and reach our lunch spot. After a little siesta, we continue with our hike for 3 more hours to Ausangate Lake where you will enjoy our famous daily happy hour of hot drinks and settle into our campsite for the night.

Distance:
Elevation: 5100m/16,732ft
Hiking time: 5 to 6 hours
Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodations: camping at Ausangate Lake

Day 3: Ausangate Lake – Jampa

After an early and nutritious breakfast with your trekking team, you will prepare for the third day of the hike. Today you will be hiking very close to the wonderful views of the Ausangate Glacier Peaks, experiencing spectacular views of lakes and waterfalls. You may even see some llamas, alpacas and wild vicuñas (the undomesticated ancestor of the alpaca) as well as condors soaring above. We will have a 3-hour ascension to reach the Abra Campo Pass, which is at (5000m/16404ft), where you will discover magnificent views of the surrounding areas. It is possible that in some months of the year, we will have snow hikes, but mostly in the dry season, you just get great views. There is a good chance you will see vicuñas, which are the most impressive animals still living wild in Peru, they belong to the family of Andean Camellias. Their fleece is the most expensive wool in the world today. After taking a few amazing pictures we continue to our lunch spot, with a gradual descent for another 1.5hours to a beautiful area where you will enjoy your second day’s lunch. It will be another 2.5-hour hike to arrive at our campsite in JAMPA.

Distance:
Elevation: 5o00m/16,404ft
Hiking time: 7 to 8 hours
Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodations: camping at Jampa

Day 4: Jampa – Pacchanta – Cusco

After 3 days of hiking and acclimatization, on Day 4 we are ready for another adventure! We take breakfast early and begin our hike of approximately 1 hour to reach the glacier base and then to the top of the mountain! After enjoying the spectacular views of the Vilcanota Range, we descend back down to enjoy a delicious lunch. In the afternoon, we descend towards the Qomerqocha Lagoon just before arriving at Pacchanta after a 5-hour walk. Pacchanta is a little community with attractive hot springs where we can enjoy a relaxing dip. Then we take our transportation back to Cusco.

Distance:
Elevation: 4500m/14,763ft
Hiking time: 5 to 6 hours
Meals: breakfast, lunch